The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

Gospel Promises – A Hope and a Future

 

The Gospel is a message of comfort, healing and hope

The Gospel is a message that brings healing and comfort to the poor sinner whose conscience is weighed down with the guilt and pain of sin. It is a promise of forgiveness from God that frees the conscience from this heavy weight. Jesus invites all people to humbly come to Him and receive this healing from the wounds of sin.

Matthew 11:28-30 – 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.  30 “For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.” NASB

Jesus freely invites people to come to Him, and in coming to Him He offers “rest.” He offers “rest” to those who are “heavy laden.” This presupposes that we realize that we are “heavy laden” under the burden of guilt and sin. You see Christ is inviting those who are under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, who mourn their sins against God, who realize they have ruined their life by many sins and have separated themselves from God, the very source of life by continual sin. The analogy so many times employed in Scripture shows the guilty sinner bruised and broken by the fall into sin, heavy laden and toiling under the burden of sin which only leads to death, seeking to fill the unquenchable hunger and thirst of their souls created by being cutoff from relationship with God, who alone is the fountain of life. But Jesus promises to fill the longing of the soul, and comforts us by filling the void in our hearts.

John 6:34-35 – 34 They said therefore to Him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. NASB

The Gospel then is an invitation to come and receive the blessing and benefits afforded by forgiveness from sin, and healing from the hand of God who also comforts our wounded conscience by the Holy Spirit. Indeed God promises to restore to us the benefit of His blessing which is pictured in Scripture as a well-watered “garden” or a “river of delights.”

Psalms 36:7-9 – 7 How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. 8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Thy house; And Thou dost give them to drink of the river of Thy delights. 9 For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light. NASB

In Christ we find a “refuge” from the scorching desert heat of sin under the “shadow of thy wings” and this is the “precious lovingkindness of God” where we “drink the fill of the abundance of Thy house.” God comforts His people and restores the “waste places” of their broken lives and the “wilderness” of their wanderings in sin so that their lives are now like the “garden of the Lord.”

Isaiah 51:3 – 3 Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody. NASB

But notice the fruits of this garden are not tomatoes and cucumbers, they are “joy” and “gladness” added to “thanksgiving.” These analogies in Scripture are vivid pictures of the healing of our souls as we are reconciled to God because in the dry arid climate of the Bible writers these “rivers and gardens” were analogies of fruitful and refreshing delights to those who thirsted and hungered. This is the comfort that God, who is said to be “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,” gives to His Church as they abide in His peace.

Acts 9:31 – 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase. NASB

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. NASB

But the comfort that God gives is not temporary but is an eternal comfort that never ends. And this is the Gospel promise for all those who come to Christ. It is a promise of eternal healing, comfort, and rest from the weight and burden of sin. Christ is an everlasting fountain of life and blessing for those who come to Him as He fills the longing of our hearts to be healed from a sin-sick world and His promise is the fulfilling of our hope for a place of delight and eternal abundance where we will no longer, mourn or cry or die.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, 17 comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. NASB

These amazing promises give us “good hope” of a heart and a world healed from the deadly disease of sin, and we long to see the world restored to that place of abundance and life like it was when God created it, when He called it a garden and blessed it with His presence everyday. This “eternal comfort and good hope” is available to all who simply come to Christ in repentance and faith to receive His healing and promise! To those who “hope in God” and trust Him to save them from sin and death and to provide for them eternal life, He promises His “lovingkindness” and His eternal blessing. This promise comes from the Almighty God who alone holds the power of life and immortality, and who alone is the faithful and true God who can offer such exceedingly great promises as these. Therefore the believer has “good hope” of the life and blessing of God who will show them lovingkindness and heal them from sin and death and give them rest for their souls.

Psalm 33:18-22 – 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, 19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. 22 Let Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, According as we have hoped in Thee. NASB

To those who put their hope in the Lord and call upon Him to save them, He will surely answer and hear the cry of those who call Him.

Psalm 145:18-19 – 18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. NASB

The Gospel is an invitation to come and be healed and restored. It is an invitation to come and receive life and blessing beyond our comprehension. Further this invitation goes out to all who will “seek the Lord” and who will “call upon Him” to save from sin. For all who “seek” Him and “call upon” Him, God promises to have compassion and to pardon their sins.

Isaiah 55:6-7 – 6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. NASB

God is seen in Scripture as the great Savior who saves all who call upon Him because He is gracious and compassionate. He will abundantly pardon those who repent of  their sin and turn to Him for healing and forgiveness. His ear is seen to be turned to the one who calls, and His heart ready to forgive and heal.

Psalm 116:1-8 – 116 I love the Lord, because He hears My voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live. 3 The cords of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I beseech Thee, save my life!” 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For Thou hast rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. NASB

The promise held out in the Gospel is indeed the greatest of all, beyond any ever made!

Revelation 21:3-7 – 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, 4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. NASB